Bergara BMR 22lr: Real World Review!

Bergara has been producing some great new products for the US market for the past few years, and today we are going to talk about one of those.

The Bergara BMR 22 long rifle bolt action rifle, I’ve had this rifle for a bit now, and today I will share my experience with its function and performance.

The Bergara BMR

The Bergara Micro Rimfire (BMR) is a bolt-action repeating rifle fed by detachable box magazines.

It is based on the BMR action that brings many of the features from larger rifle actions like Bergara’s famous B-14.

The BMR was designed to fill the need of rimfire shooters, particularly those that shoot competitive rimfire matches such as the NRL22 series.

It fulfills that task well, and it also offers recreational shooters and hunters alike the same benefits that competition shooters prefer.

Bergara BMR Features

1 Excellent trigger

Remington 700 type trigger

2 Quality magazines

Both five and ten-round magazines included

3 Included scope base

Comes with 30 MOA scope base rail

4 Threaded Muzzle

1/2-28 muzzle threads are standard

BMR Models

The BMR is also available with a carbon fiber barrel to reduce the overall weight of the rifle, and it is also available in .22 Mag and .17HMR. The model we are testing here today is the carbon steel eighteen-inch model chambered in .22LR.

Bergara BMR 22 long rifle – Our Take

For some time I’ve wanted to get my hands on a good 22-rimfire, so when this Bergara popped up I figured I would give it a try.

Straight out of the box, the rifle came in its standard polymer stock with a grey and black speck pattern. I installed the bolt utilizing the left-side bolt release and locked it down into the battery.

I ran the bolt several times to get a feel for the action and I was pleased to see that the BMR action didn’t have the occasional bind like many bolt action rimfires. It was smooth and felt just like a regular centerfire rifle bolt, except for its short throw.

Interestingly, the magazines and mag release also felt similar to a full-sized rifle and I felt that it was comfortable to seat and eject the magazines while using the paddle-style mag release which sat just in front of the trigger guard.

I was astounded at how well this little trigger felt – it was just as good as the great triggers I had felt on the full-size B-14 Bergara rifles. It’s not like a $200 custom trigger, but it was better than expected and I saw no reason to adjust or replace it.

For optics, I added the Vortex Gen 2 PST 3-15 on the included 30 MOA scope base. Lastly, I added a bipod and a suppressor before heading out the door to field-test this rifle.

I bore-sighted the rifle upon arriving at my shooting spot and then using some Federal AutoMatch ammunition I set to zero the rifle. My very first impression of the first couple of shots was impressive, at fifty yards, my first two shots were all but touching. I made a couple of corrections and then shot a five-shot group that probably measured under half an inch. I took my attention from the paper target and started picking out small rocks along the edge of a berm approximately a hundred yards away. With uncanny precision I was able to knock one rock after another, sending them either bouncing over the hill or rolling down the front of it. It had only taken a dozen or so rounds, and I was hooked on this BMR.

I took the BMR for several hikes and varmint hunts here in the mountains, and my appreciation for its accuracy grew. I was able to stretch it out beyond the two-hundred-yard mark with better-than-expected results. I also let my wife and kids shoot the rifle, which I may regret next time I visit the ammunition aisle.

The magazines function flawlessly throughout all my testing, feeding every kind of ammunition into the BMR’s match-grade chamber. I have only fired bulk-packed ammunition through the rifle, but I would be very curious to see what it would do with some quality match ammunition. I was very pleased with the performance of the assortment of ammo I did try, bulk-packed ammo from Federal, Winchester, and CCI all did fantastically.

Utilizing the threaded muzzle to install my Yankee Hill Machine Phantom 22 suppressor took the BMR to another level. Subsonic ammunition proved to shoot very well, and near movie quiet. You could use this combination to plug backyard pests without bothering the sleeping dog.

Bergara BMR 22 Pros and Cons

Bergara BMR 22 Ammo

The best results I saw while shooting the BMR came from Winchester’s 333 bulk pack of thirty-six-grain grain ammunition. With high-quality match ammunition, it would surprise me to see quarter-inch groups from this rifle, especially when suppressed.

Bergara BMR 22 Starter Pack

So what’s next? Well, if you decide to get the Bergara BMR 22, you’re going to need to pick up some must-have basics. Here’s our recommendation for what you need to get started.

• Gun Cleaning Kit: Otis All Caliber Elite Range Box on Amazon or build your own personalized cleaning kit with premium components.
• Shooting Glasses: All it takes is one piece of rogue hot brass, and you’ll learn the importance of shooting glasses. But not all glasses are built the same. See our recommendations for the Best Shooting Glasses.
• Hearing Protection: Firing a gun without wearing proper ear protection can be very dangerous and detrimental to your hearing. Find out the best hearing protection for you, in our full-length review.
• Storage: Check out our article on the Best Biometric Gun Safes
• Targets – If you want a great resource for shooting practice or zeroing your optics on your optics rifle or pistol, download our FREE Sighting in Targets below.

Bergara BMR 22 Accessories

I mentioned above that the BMR has nearly everything, with little need to alter the rifle, but it never hurts to throw in some accessories.

For sure I would recommend a suppressor, my YHM Phantom worked great on this rifle, as did the Dead Air Mask. It’s a new level of fun with these suppressors installed on the gun.

If you are going to do any amount of precision shooting, you will likely want a bipod. I had no problems using the Harris SL bipod on the rifle, but any good bipod that will fit your needs will help you shoot better.

A good sling will be helpful when packing this little rifle around the mountains. It’s not particularly heavy so most good slings fit for hunting will likely serve your purpose.

A good scope for this rifle is a must. I used the Gen 2 PST, but any good scope of comparable quality should serve you well.

Bergara BMR 22 Accessories

1. YHM Phantom Suppressor		Newly designed baffle system Blast chamber serves as the takedown tool for the muzzle cap	Check Price
2. Dead Air MASK 22 HD		New optimized and interlocked baffle design Excellent sound reduction	Check Price
3. Harris SL bipod		Versatile, sturdy, light Time-proven design.	Check Amazon
4. Vortex Viper PST II 5-25×50		Awesome Warranty State-of-the-art reticles	Check Amazon

Caring For Your Bergara BMR 22LR

Not only do you need to keep your firearms safe and secure, but you’re also going to need to know how to take care of them. While scouring the internet, we came across this excellent video by Precision Rifle Network!

Bergara BMR 22LR Documents

• Bergara BMR Official Site
• Bergara BMR 22LR Manual